The Shak'tar: Part I
by Anulis
Summary: Sg1 meets what could be their most important allies yet, a group of rebel slaves within the Goa'uld that call themselves the Shak'tar,‘free humans’. But when the team is captured by Baal and tortured, O'Neill has to get his team out before it's too late..


_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or themes in this story that are affiliated with the television series Stargate Sg-1 or Stargate Atlantis or the movie Stargate. _

Chapter 1 - Slaves

"May we reign forever!" Baal, the mighty Goa'uld system lord took a deep breath and with a nod, ended the summit. Morrigan, Svarog, Olokun, and Kali, the only other system lords left alive by the growing power of Anubis, walked out with their slaves in tow. Lord Yu however stayed behind to speak with Baal. But Halia wasn't listening. As she made food and drink for her master, her eyes were locked with Ronan's. The two were both painfully aware that their love meant torture, even death if it was ever discovered.

More dangerous was the conspiracy in which Halia and Ronan were involved. Like Teal'c the sholva, who had sparked doubt in the ranks of the jaffa, the human slaves were beginning to lose faith in their masters and had formed a resistance. The two had freed hundreds of slaves and jaffa and saved countless lives at the expense of their own freedom in the underground fight against the Goa'uld.

Halia and Ronan were Lo'taurs, the highest ranking and most trusted among the slaves of the Goa'uld. Halia belonged to Baal, the Storm "God"; like a cup or a chair, she was considered property, just like any other object. Ronan too was a slave. He was lo'taur to Yu Huang Shang Ti, the Jade Emperor, but he would have traded every piece of jade in the universe to be a lowly slave of Baal, so Halia was not forbidden to him.

Ronan sighed, knowing that he and Halia could never have done their duty for the resistance serving the same Goa'uld. Halia agreed; being a lo'taur gave them privileges and freedom to roam the halls of the Goa'uld and hear their secrets. Through their enslavement, the members of the resistance fought for the freedom of their brothers in chains.

_Crash_. Busy looking at Ronan, Halia had dropped a glass and it shattered on the floor. She set down her tray and practically threw herself on the mess.

"Pay attention!" Baal spat at her. For a minute, Ronan's face spelt bitter fury, but he continued his cooking. Years of being a lo'taur had taught him how to control his emotions in his master's presence.

"There has been another uprising, of the human slaves on Asheng." Yu said, ignoring Halia.

"Did you take any prisoners?" Baal asked.

"Five of the leaders. Two humans and three jaffa. The jaffa would not speak, even under torture and one of the humans died before revealing anything."

"Why did you not revive him in a sarcophagus?"

"The damage to his body was beyond repair." Halia and Ronan shuddered at the statement. They knew who the five rebels were; they had been members of the resistance. Ronan comforted himself knowing that they had died for the freedom of all jaffa and slaves and translated this through a look to Halia.

"What of the other?"

"She spoke, and I think you would be _very_ interested in what she had to say." Halia's and Ronan's hearts froze. Any information that Yu had about the rebellion could potentially end hundreds of lives. Baal looked confusedly at Yu, who did not continue to speak; just then Kali's lo'taur returned with a tray to retrieve leftover items.

"This is not the place to speak of these things." Baal nodded and changed the subject.

"It is not the slaves but the jaffa that worry me. How can we hope to defeat Anubis if our warriors change sides on the battlefield?"

"We must make examples of all the rebels, teach the masses the cost of challenging the power of the system lords."

"Hmm." Baal laughed. "I pity the jaffa that steps out of line in your ranks."

"Ronan." Yu said, holding his hand up. He didn't need to elaborate. Ronan rushed to his master's side and served him tea noiselessly. Halia didn't need to be called, Baal needed only to shift in his seat and she was there, serving him food and drink.

"Nonetheless, we must strike soon, or it will be Anubis, not the system lords, that rules over the galaxy."

Chapter 2 - Missionis Fatalis

"So, you really want to go after this thing?" Jack asked. He and his team sat around the table in the briefing room of the SGC looking skeptically at Jacob. He and the Tok'ra had learned of the existence of a potential ancient weapon to fight Anubis.

"This may be our chance to rid the galaxy of Anubis forever and you don't want to do it? I thought it was you that said we needed to take a more direct approach in fighting the Goa'uld?" Jacob said, raising his eyebrows.

"Well I did, but didn't you say this place was guarded like a fortress? Do you really think we can get in and out of there with the thing alive?" Jacob sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. When he lifted it again, his eyes flashed gold; it was Selmak that spoke next.

"We have an operative within the ranks that guard the weapon. With her help, the council believes a small force of five or six could get through the stargate, defeat the small number of jaffa left guarding the device, and get back out with little difficulty."

"Uh, Selmak what are you planning to do with the device after you have it?" Daniel asked. "There are innocent people on Anubis' home planet, and you said this thing was really powerful…"

"The purpose of this expedition is less to use the device and more to keep Anubis from using it. Ancient technology is never good in his hands. It is reasonable to assume we could use the device against him after we have it, given a decent amount of Naqahdah but for now the primary objective is to keep Anubis from doing just that." General Hammond looked from Selmak to Daniel to Jack.

"Well Colonel, I won't make it an order…"

"You don't have to sir," he said, looking around at his team, "We'll do it."

"So it's settled. Sg-1 will accompany the Tok'ra to P9F-299 at 1200 tomorrow." The General said.

That night, as Jack lay down to sleep, he got a bad feeling about the mission, like the Tok'ra had yet again, left something out.

Chapter 3 – A Raven's News

After waiting for nearly an hour outside the summit room, (Baal and Yu had dismissed the slaves to speak more privately), their masters emerged and they returned with them to their respective chambers.

"Tell me, what do you think of Yu's rebellion?" Baal asked as he sat on a throne in his quarters. Halia greatly desired to say how happy she was that the slaves and Jaffa that had escaped were now free, but knew it would only ever be a fantasy. She would have to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"I believe it is a passing thing, master. The jaffa warriors and slaves that rebelled are dead now, an example to the others. I do not foresee any more rebels within Lord Yu's ranks." Baal smiled.

"How perceptive of you. Come, I will have some of the tea Lord Yu sent." While Halia prepared the tea, Baal looked her up and down, examining her every angle. She kneeled before him when she was finished and poured the tea. But when she tried to give the cup to her master, he waved it away.

"Taste it." Halia didn't hesitate, though Baal might fear the tea to be poisoned, she knew Ronan would switch the tea if it contained such a danger rather than risking her safety. After wiping the rim of the glass and waiting a moment (quite pointlessly) to see if she would suffer any affects from poison, she handed the cup to Baal, who sipped it slowly while staring at Halia.

"Why did you taste the drink?" He asked. Halia paused, what had moved him to ask such a question?

"Because you commanded it my lord." Baal shook his head.

"Why did you follow the command?" Halia's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"I do not understand master…" Baal was not frustrated, as Halia predicted he would be, instead he laughed aloud.

"Do not pretend you are a fool Halia. You made the tea because I commanded it; you drank it, even at the risk of your own death, because I commanded it. All that I ask of you, you do without question or complaint because I command it. Why do you serve?"

"You are my god, it is an honor to serve." Halia couldn't believe how quick-witted she was being in her dread. It was all she could do to keep herself from shaking with fear.

"If you truly thought me a god you would not lie to me. I am no god, you are aware of this fact. And yet you still serve, tell me why." Halia thought for a moment.

"Because my lord, whether you are a god or not, you are my master and it is my duty to serve. You do not need to be a god to be powerful." Baal smiled again and leaned back in his throne.

"Good. You will make an exquisite host for Anat…"

Chapter 4 - Questions and Concerns

Ronan followed his master through the gold bedecked halls of the summit fortress with his head bowed and his hands clasped behind his back. He had just had the strangest and most horrible sensation that something was wrong with Halia. It was only for a second but he was sure that's what he had felt. Ronan decided he must meet with her that night.

"I require more time in the sarcophagus, leave me until the morning comes." Lord Yu said as he walked into his bedchamber.

"Understood master." Ronan knew this was his chance and practically ran to Baal's quarters, stopping on the way only to bow before the passing Goa'uld. He waited outside for what seemed like hours before Baal too retired. Halia cleaned up hastily and then opened the door, peering around each corner.

"Halia my love!" Ronan whispered. He ran forward from his hiding place and threw his arms around her.

"Ronan! It is death if we are seen! Come over here…" Halia pulled him into a small alcove in the hallway and smiled brightly at him.

"Oh my love it is death to be away from you, death to be with you, death to pretend in front of my master. We may as well throw ourselves on a staff weapon now." He said softly, then his eyes narrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Ronan, I'm sorry but we have only a few minutes. My master is not yet asleep, he could come out here at any time." She said, glancing back at the door.

"Then meet me later. We have work to do." He said, "Be outside the summit room at midnight." Halia nodded and kissed Ronan once more.

"Slavery for freedom." She whispered the resistance' adage and then slipped back into Baal's chambers. Ronan stood transfixed at the door for some time, wondering why Halia had dry tears on her cheek.

Chapter 5 - To Freedom, To Captivity

Halia paced back and forth next to a tall, gold column. She bowed fully as a Goa'uld and her lo'taur walked by quickly. She continued to pace, more rapidly, wringing her hands.

"Urgh, where are you!" she whispered.

"Always at your side." Halia whirled around. Standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, was Ronan. They didn't hesitate. The two ran to each other's arms and ducked silently out of the hallway, Ronan in the front. Halia followed along behind him as he checked around each corner. At last, the two slid into and empty storage room. Ronan took one last look in the hallway and then secured the door. He leaned back against it and sighed, staring at Halia.

"How was I ever alive before I met you?" she said softly.

"Life is like drowning, and love is the deep breath before the plunge." he replied.

"The drowning is inevitable-"

"It doesn't have to be…" Halia frowned and sat on a storage crate. Ronan walked over and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"We leave tomorrow, what happens then?" Halia whispered despairingly, "It could be years before the next summit, I don't have that long…"

"What do you mean?" Ronan asked, Halia didn't reply but looked away with her eyes shut tight. "Halia, why were you crying before?" He turned her face back towards him to see that she was in tears once again.

"I cannot bear to tell you, please don't ask me, things are better this way…"

"My love, nothing you could say will keep me from you, I beg you tell me so you do not have to bear the pain alone!" He pleaded. Halia was terrified. She knew that telling Ronan of Baal's plan would cause him great pain, but she could not keep secrets from her love.

"Baal intends to make me a host for his mate Anat." Ronan's eyes filled with tears as he looked into Halia's. He shook his head violently.

"No, he cannot…"

"He can, and I have no choice but to obey."

"No, I wont let him, there has to be a way."

"You would openly defy my master and yours? They will kill you."

"I will find a way." Ronan said firmly. "Even if it means my death, I cannot let this happen to you." Halia smiled weakly.

"Let us talk of other matters now, please?" Ronan nodded.

"They will be here shortly." He said. Halia knew he was referring to the Shak'ren; it was the name the resistance had given to the slaves and jaffa they smuggled to freedom via their own version of the Underground Railroad. They called them this Goa'uld slang word as an act of rebellion; 'Shak'ren' literally meant 'Secretly Freed'.

"How many are coming?" Halia asked.

"Only four; three humans and a jaffa." As he said this, the Shak'ren crept into the room through the partially opened door. The two lo'taurs greeted them happily. Halia waited in the room as Ronan led two runaways to their next helper and returned for the others. When at last the deed was done, they had some time to spare. Ronan entertained Halia with stories of his home planet. This was their favorite pastime, as Halia had been born a slave, she enjoyed listening to Ronan's tales of the freedom he experienced before Yu came to his planet.

"We would tease the poor creatures terribly, running forward and scaring them into flight. And after they were gone, their feathers would float down for us to catch-" He stopped mid-sentence, the storage room door was opening and voices could be heard on the other side. He and Halia dove behind a stack of crates and froze.

"Kree tal noc Tau'ri!" A deep voice echoed in the room.

"Jaffa?" Halia mouthed, confused. Ronan shrugged, Jaffa weren't allowed to accompany the Goa'ulds to the summit, though they broke the rules on occasion, but as far as they knew, none had come. They heard several grunting sounds and then heard the door to the storage room close, and lock.

"Okay! So, Daniel, what went wrong here?" Halia rolled silently over to another crate and peered over it where she saw four people and a Jaffa sprawled across the floor. The one who was talking had sat up; he had graying hair and was staring pointedly at a younger man wearing spectacles.

"I went back for the ancient device-" He said, wiping his glasses of on his clothes.

"Which I explicitly told you not to! And?" The man said, his voice filled with disdain.

"And I got shot with a zat, so Teal'c came back for me and he got shot, so you and Sam came back for us, and then Jacob came back for you and by then there were so many Jaffa-" the man called Daniel said.

"That we got caught and are now weaponless and trapped in a Goa'uld fortress. That about sum it up?"

"At least we could destroy the thing before it could be taken. I think we're better off captured than if Anubis had the device now."

"Yeah, I know..." the man said after a minute. The balding man, Jacob, still sat on the floor; Sam, who Halia could only assume was the woman, stood near the door pressing several keys in a futile attempt to open it; the last, Teal'c, however, was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Halia felt hands on her wrists pulling her to her feet.

"Hello…" the man who had spoken before was walking slowly toward her.

"What is your purpose here woman?" Teal'c said from behind her, holding her arms behind her. But before she could respond, Ronan had jumped up from his hiding place.

"Please master Jaffa, do not harm her!" He said, his arms out in front of him, pleading silently for Teal'c to release her. The jaffa hesitated for a moment but let Halia go; she ran to Ronan, who stepped in front of her protectively.

"It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you." Daniel had risen and walked cautiously toward them. "I'm Daniel, and this is Teal'c, Jack, and Sam, we're from a planet called Earth. And this is Jacob and Selmak, they're Tok'ra." He said gesturing to each in turn. Ronan hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

"I am Ronan, lo'taur to Lord Yu Huang Shang Ti."

"My name is Halia, Lord Baal's lo'taur." Halia said, standing next to Ronan and taking his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Ronan asked flatly.

"We were captured, we're prisoners." Daniel replied.

"Uh, lo'taurs?" The Colonel stepped forward and raised his eyebrows in question.

"The highest ranking slaves of the system lords." Teal'c said knowledgably.

"You know, when I went in undercover with the poison and-"

"Yeah…"

"If you serve different Goa'ulds, why are you here together?" Selmak asked. But the two were spared answering when the door to the storage room opened; Baal walked in accompanied by four jaffa. Halia and Ronan practically jumped away from each other and then bowed as the Goa'uld walked in, eyes glowing.

"Ah, the infamous warriors of the Tau'ri, and a Tok'ra." Baal said, smiling. He looked around at his captured prey. "Teal'c, the shol'va. Daniel Jackson, a good catch indeed." He said looking to each prisoner; his eyes came to a rest on Jack. "It is good to see you again Colonel," he said. "You were not in such good health last time we met."

"I've been jogging. You're uglier than ever, snake-thing not working out for ya?" Jack retorted sarcastically. Baal chose to ignore his comment.

"I expected better of you, my first prime tells me you were an easy catch." Halia and Ronan both stood frozen, bowing. So these were the Tau'ri that they had heard so much about, that they idolized.

"And Yu's slave…" He had turned his head to where Ronan and Halia stood several feet apart, bowing. He paused for a moment and everyone in the room was painfully aware that he was looking at Halia.

"Master, I-"

"Silence!" Baal cut her off, "I will deal with you later. Go." he said viciously. Halia hesitated for a moment, glancing at Ronan, but he was unable to help her. She walked swiftly and silently out the door and Baal looked back at Sg-1.

"Take them and have them transported to my Ha'tac. Do not allow anyone else to see them." He said.

"What of the slave?" The jaffa asked, nodding his head at Ronan. Baal considered Ronan for a moment; he had stopped bowing and was standing, fists clenched, every line of his face tightened with rage.

"Take him as well. I should like to hear more of this…resistance." Several minutes later, the six captives were crowded onto a ring platform and sent to Baal's ship that was waiting in orbit. As they were pushed roughly into a cell, the first prime spoke.

"You shall suffer dearly for defying the will of Baal, your god." He said wickedly, "Now you will die at her hand, as your queen." Ronan lost all control; he lunged forward at the jaffa, but instead fell to the floor, writhing in pain from the zatnicatel's fire. After the jaffa had left, Jack and Teal'c lifted him to his feet and laid him down on the hard bench in the corner of the cell.

"Uh, what was that all about?" Jack asked.

"Halia." Ronan said through cupped hands. "Her master intends to make her a host for his queen." He clenched a fist and pounded it against the wall. "And now I have lost any chance I had of stopping it."

Chapter 6 – The Beginning Of The End

The force of Baal's hand sent Halia sprawling to the floor. She held her now bleeding cheek and looked back up at her master fearfully.

"Rise." Halia flew to her feet and bowed her head respectfully. It had been a long time since she had seen her master in such a rage.

"Now," He said. Baal walked toward her, backing her into the wall with each step. "You will explain to me why I found you consorting with the Tau'ri and the slave." Halia's back hit the wall.

"Lord Yu's lo'taur, Ronan, and I were in the room when your first prime brought the humans from earth. We were afraid so we hid and the jaffa locked us in with them."

"Why were you in the room with the slave in the first place?" Halia hesitated. If she told him the truth about her, Ronan and the Saoreir, he would surely have him killed.

"Speak!" he said, drawing back his hand threateningly.

"We were talking of his homeland my lord. It has been so long since I have been outside and it did me well to hear of grass and trees. I was weak, forgive me!" Baal sighed angrily and let his hand fall to his side, stepping back a few feet. He lifted his hand to his head and massaged his temple as if he had a headache, and his eyes were shut in a weary fashion.

Halia waited, had he believed her story? Baal turned on his heel and walked to the door. Two Jaffa stepped through as he opened it and Halia knew that her story had not worked; she flattened herself against the wall once more. The jaffa came forward and each took hold of one of her arms.

"Know this, being Anat's future host will not spare you from my anger for long. Perhaps spending the night in a cell will...inspire you to answer honestly."

Chapter 7 – Freed Humans

"I'm sorry sir, it won't budge." Sam Carter was standing on Teal'cs shoulders trying in vain to loose a vent cover in the roof of the cell.

"That's alright Carter, come on down." Jack said. Daniel and Jacob sat against wall with Ronan, who had stopped speaking and was staring off into the emptiness. Daniel had tried to stimulate him into conversation several times to no avail. But he decided to try again now that Ronan was no longer holding his head in his hands.

"So Ronan, why were you and Halia in that storage room when they brought us in?" he asked quietly. For a minute, Daniel thought he was going to get no response, but Ronan took a deep breath and spoke.

"How can I trust you not to tell Baal when he tortures you?" he said, turning his head to look at Daniel.

"Torture?" Daniel said raising his eyebrows.

"You didn't think Baal was just going to keep us locked up forever did you?" Sam said skeptically.

"No, I was just kind of hoping it wouldn't come to that…" He replied.

"It won't." Jack said, eyeing the blue-white energy field that completed their prison. "We're gonna get out of here before that happens."

"I don't see how we can do that sir, no one knows where we are, and even if they did-"

"No, Carter!" Jack cut her off. "We are going to get out of here, I am not going through this again!" The whole room went silent. All its inhabitants were aware that Jack had been tortured by Baal before. He had spent weeks being tortured to death and revived in the sarcophagus, a memory he would not soon forget. After too long a silence, Daniel changed the subject.

"What is it that Baal wants to know so badly?" Ronan hesitated.

"I cannot tell you. I'm sorry." He said. "I have heard many stories of the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra, it's not that I don't trust you, but if I told you, it would only give Baal another excuse to torture you."

"If anything that's a reason why you should tell us." Jack said.

"I do not understand…" Ronan replied, narrowing his eyes. Jack walked over and sat down next to him.

"Baal…Baal is gonna torture us anyway." He said grudgingly. "If we have to go through that, we deserve to know why." Ronan considered this for a moment and nodded. He took a deep breath and launched into a story about the birth of the resistance.

"It was really you, the warriors of the Tau'ri, that inspired the first of us to test our limits with the Goa'uld. We would intentionally lie to them, acting ignorant if they exposed our subterfuge, and rejoicing when they believed it. The people of the resistance first considered themselves to be Tok'ra, unfortunately, that name is taken, so we called ourselves the Shak'tar."

"Freed humans." Daniel translated, receiving a nod from Ronan.

"It refers to any human slave that knows the Goa'ulds to be false gods and has a desire to be free. Halia and I fell in love not long after you defeated Apophis the first time. But before we could proceed further, Lord Yu gave Halia to Baal as a gift. So we did as we were told, but with one exception, Halia would often sneak away and meet me. When neither of our masters discovered our deception, we knew. If the Goa'uld were gods…"

"Then how could they be deceived?" Teal'c finished, smiling.

"Exactly."

"If you know the Goa'uld are not gods why haven't you tried to escape?" Selmak asked.

"We were about to, when Lord Yu made me his lo'taur after Jeran disappeared." He looked pointedly at Daniel, who shifted uneasily where he sat.

"We knew that as a lo'taur, I could do the best work for the resistance, so I stayed. I begged Halia to go without me, then at least take solace in the fact that she was free, but she refused. She too proved precious to our cause. It was not long ago that Baal made her his lo'taur when comically enough, _his_ original lo'taur disappeared." Jack coughed quietly. It was, in fact, he that had saved Baal's other lo'taur from death by helping her escape with him.

"Halia and I are the only lo'taurs in the resistance. Our position among the slaves of the Goa'uld gives us access to power and information that would otherwise have been unavailable to us. Hundreds of humans and jaffa owe their lives to our campaign, by sacrificing our freedom, we have the chance to save hundreds more."

"How do you contribute to the resistance?" Sam asked.

"We did not the start the rebellion, but we were among the first that joined in the fight for freedom. As lo'taurs, we had authority over some of the lesser jaffa and all the human slaves serving our masters. With these powers, we were able to sneak slaves out through the Chappa'ai, and we were essential in helping feed information to the resistance, some of which may have even found its way to the Tok'ra." He said, looking at Selmak.

"We knew there was some sort of leak among the Goa'ulds; our operatives would return from missions reporting that they had been approached by various jaffa and human slaves. The information they provided has proved invaluable to our cause."

"How many people are in on this?" Jack asked. Ronan smiled mischievously.

"Hundreds."

"That's amazing!" Sam exclaimed. "To have actually created a functional rebellion with such limited resources, not knowing who you could trust! The planning alone must have been phenomenal!"

"Yes. Unfortunately, it has been hard on all of us. The Shak'tar work only within the world of the Goa'uld, we have no planet we can call home like the Tau'ri. What we are fighting for is not something we can touch or see, and that makes the war that much harder to win. I was twelve years old when Lord Yu conquered my planet, I remember what it was like to run and play in the grass and do what I wanted, regardless of duty. But Halia was born a slave. She and others have made great sacrifices for something they have never had."

Chapter 8 – A Light In The Dark

"Move human!" Halia was shoved roughly forward by the jaffa behind her. The party stopped by a room and waited. The door before them opened into a small room with a dark hole in the middle. They walked forward and Halia peered down into the hole, she could not see the bottom.

"Step forward." The second jaffa commanded. Halia hesitated; did he expect her to jump into the hole? When she did not obey, the jaffa grabbed her by the back of the neck and thrust her over the pit. But instead of falling into its depths Halia looked down to find that she stood upon a blue-white shield. The jaffa stepped back and pressed something on the wall.

Rings shot up around Halia, and sent her spinning into darkness. She looked skyward and saw the spot where the shield had appeared only seconds before. It was the only source of light; everything around her was dark, and cold. Halia shivered and sat against the hard, smooth wall of the pit, drawing her knees to her chest.

"Oh Ronan," she said. "What am I going to do?"

"You must do what your master asks." In her despair, Halia had slipped into a memory. It was the night before Halia would leave with Baal, who had been meeting Lord Yu to form an alliance against a lesser system lord. Yu had given Halia to Baal as a gift on the last day of their summit. It came as a hard blow to both her and Ronan; the two were going to announce their intentions to marry the next day.

"What if this alliance fails? What if I never see you again?" Halia asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I will see you again! The gods themselves could not keep me from you. But it is death if you refuse to go with Lord Baal."

"But you are my love!"

"And Baal is your god."

"Is he?" Halia whispered. Ronan leaned against the windowsill and looked fixedly at Halia.

"My love…I would cross a thousand galaxies to be with you. But what good will it do you to stay if you are dead? Perhaps the Goa'uld are not gods, what of it? That does not stop them from ruling the universe." Halia let her chin fall to her chest.

"I will go with Baal. Not because he is a god, but because there is no hope." Ronan rushed forward and embraced Halia tightly.

"Don't be afraid. The nights will be cold when I'm not in your arms, but know that I will always be with you, and that there is always hope."

"There is always hope," Halia whispered as the tears ran down her face back in her dark cell. "There is always hope…"

Chapter 9 – Search And Seizure

That night, three of the six prisoners lie sleeping in various parts of the cell. Jacob slept against a wall with his daughter's head in his lap and Teal'c, who did not sleep due to the healing powers of the infant Goa'uld he carried, was sitting a few feet from the wall in a silent state of kel'no'reem. Daniel had fallen asleep, with his glasses on, laying half-on and half-off the only bench in the cell. Jack walked over to him and took his glasses off in a fatherly sort of way, setting them on the end of the bench.

Ronan could not have slept if he wanted to. He sat with his head leaning against the bars of the cell, and hadn't moved in over five hours. After tending to Daniel, Jack came over and sat next to Ronan, imitating his position.

"Hey," he started. "Aren't you gonna sleep at all?" Ronan's eyes eased open.

"You are not sleeping." Jack sighed and shook his head.

"No, I guess not." After a long pause, Ronan turned to look at Jack, this time with his eyes full of unmistakable pity.

"You have been a prisoner of Baal before." He said. It was more of a statement than a question, but Jack nodded anyway.

"Yes." He replied in a dead, hollow sort of way.

"Halia told me, I'm sorry." Ronan said. "But know this, because you have experienced it before, you will be prepared when Baal comes for you. Your friends, however, will not. I think you'll find that the pain is lessened if you are being strong for another." Jack looked at Ronan differently from that moment on; he wasn't sure if it was respect as much as he felt like he had finally found an ally that he could relate to. The Asgard, the Tok'ra, and the jaffa were important allies, but they had always seemed to lack something. Jack knew now that that something was humanity, and perhaps now they had found that.

_That is, of course assuming, we survive this. _As if prompted by this thought, the prisoners in the cell were awoken when the shield lowered and several jaffa entered, it must have been morning. After aiming their staff-weapons at the others, the jaffa stepped hastily forward and grabbed Jacob.

"Dad!" Sam objected for both him and Selmak, she had grown quite fond of both.

"It is alright Samantha, we will be fine." Selmak said as the jaffa dragged him from the room. She made to move forward again, but Daniel grabbed her from behind and did not let go until the shield had been raised again. She didn't struggle, but the minute he had let go, she followed Ronan's example and pounded a fist against the wall.

"Damn!" She yelled; Daniel reached up and stroked her back comfortingly.

"He'll be okay, Selmak'll take care of him." Ronan and Jack remained silent, knowing that Selmak would in fact hurt Jacob more by keeping him alive longer. The five of them sat down again, staring into space, each awaiting his turn to face Baal.

Chapter 10 – Suffero Aeternus

Halia had been taken out of the dark pit and was now being half-lead half-dragged down the corridor to Baal. When she arrived, the jaffa threw her to the floor before his throne and left the room. She waited on her knees for a few minutes, not daring to move, and when he entered the room, she bowed her head out of habit. Baal walked slowly to his throne and sat grandly on its solid gold construction.

"I know about the pathetic resistance you call the Shak'tar." He said after a while of glaring at Halia. She knew that not responding would only anger him further, but saying anything about the Shak'tar could endanger hundreds of lives.

"Lord Yu seemed pleased to hand over his slave and the responsibility of finding the other traitors to me. Nonetheless, I will root them out." He paused to see the reaction on Halia's face, but it was hidden due to her bowing.

"Get up." Halia did so; in the back of her mind were floating images of Ronan being tortured and the dark pit that she had spent the night in and the flashing explosions of all the worlds she had watched her master destroy, all the lives that had been torn apart, including her own. She held her head up high and glared horribly back up at him.

"So you are two-faced, this the traitorous rebel and the other a cringing slave." He paused again. "And yet you cannot hide the fear in your eyes. But no matter, I have an offer for you." Baal scoffed. Halia cocked her head somewhat.

"What is the offer?" Baal's eyes glowed.

"Give me the names of the other leaders of this resistance and I will consider sparing the lives of you and the others." Halia shuddered. Baal was going to make her choose between Ronan and the Tau'ri or the resistance.

"I do not know them." Baal's eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in his throne.

"You're a liar. And you test my patience." Halia was sweating under the pressure. What would Ronan do? Then she knew what had to be done, for the resistance, for Ronan, for herself. Halia lost all pretense of servility and spoke with a deep passion.

"None of us will tell you anything. You have been slighted at every turn, your most closely guarded secrets have been leaked to the Tok'ra and the Tau'ri, and all of this was done by your most loyal servant. I have spent too long serving the Goa'uld, that's over now, I die serving the Shak'tar resistance, Dal shakka mel, I die free." Baal had a blank expression on his face.

He stood and stepped down from his throne, stalking around Halia. As he came up behind her, he reached a hand around her and grabbed her by the neck, his other tearing her head back by her hair. He pulled her backwards, holding her against him, and stared down into her eyes. His eyes glowed again and he spoke with an evil hiss.

"You are mistaken. Your friends will tell me all that I want to know. And you, my lo'taur, my _slave_, you will endure more pain than anyone has ever endured, and in the end, you will die on your knees, begging me to end your suffering."

Chapter 11 – True Pain

After the jaffa brought Jacob back, with several holes in his clothing, they had taken Teal'c. When he returned, they stopped taking prisoners. The reason was apparent later when the shield was dropped and a single jaffa entered. He stood with his staff weapon at the ready as his counterpart entered carrying something.

"Oh no, Halia!" Ronan gasped. The jaffa carried her unconscious body over to the bench and gently laid her down. Even he seemed to pity her for her ordeal. Ronan made a move toward her, but the jaffa grabbed him by the arms and pulled him struggling out of the room.

"Oh my god…" Jack whispered hoarsely; the state of the young woman was horrible. Like Jacob and Teal'c, she had holes in her clothes that marked the sites of her torture before being revived in the sarcophagus, but her violet robes told a more terrible story of pain. There was barely an inch between each hole, dried blood surrounded the spots, and there were perfectly round tears on the back. Jack shuddered, knowing that they had been made by the acid Baal had once used on him. Near these slits, Jack saw several small holds that he didn't recognize.

"Give her these when she wakes." One of the jaffa had returned and was carrying a bundle of what looked like black seaweed. "She will understand." He kicked the bundle through a space he had opened at the bottom of the shield and then left. Daniel picked up the bundle and brought it over.

"It looks like some sort of plant but it's soft and malleable like fabric." He said, rolling the bundle around in his hands.

"It is Cham'ka root. He intends me to wear it so when I go through the sarcophagus, the clothes will regenerate as well." Halia had woken and tried to sit up. But Jack pushed her back gently.

"Don't move, you need to rest." He said.

"Where is Ronan?"

"Uh, when they brought you back they took him." Daniel said tenderly. Halia shook her head and tried to sit up once more but to no avail. Jack didn't even need to push her down again; she seemed to have lost all strength.

"Colonel O'Neill?" Halia asked; Jack was surprised that she knew his name.

"Yeah?"

"Wake me when they bring Ronan back, please…" Jack didn't have to answer, she had passed out. It was some hours later when Halia awoke. The members of Sg-1 sat around the cell, but Ronan had not yet returned. Selmak was sitting with Sam and Daniel, they were deep in conversation; Jack was sitting in a corner with Teal'c, who was trying to explain the jaffa ritualistic martial art, Mastaba, unsuccessfully.

"Why don't you just use intars and practice real combat?" he asked. Teal'c sighed and tried again.

"Mastaba is not only an art of war. It is also a spiritual practice, much like your yoga." Jack gave up trying to understand and smiled slightly as Halia walked over. She had changed into the Cham'ka root, which was a plain but rather attractive black dress that no longer looked remotely like seaweed.

"Hey…" Jack said. Halia returned the whispered greeting with a slight inclination of the head. She then turned to Teal'c and spoke quietly.

"I do not mean to intrude, but might I ask to speak to Colonel O'Neill alone?" Teal'c smiled and nodded politely before walking away to join Sam, Daniel, and Jacob.

"What's up?" Jack asked as the two sat down, he against the wall and Halia cross-legged facing him.

"How long have I been asleep?" Halia asked, she wasn't sure how to start the conversation she wanted to have with this man she had never officially met.

"Oh, I dunno, a couple of hours? But that's not why you wanted to talk to me alone…" Jack said sensitively. Halia smiled faintly, grateful that he was making this easier for her.

"No, it's not. But I fear the subject-"

"Baal. You want to talk about what happened to me before." Jack cut her off. Seeing the confusion on her face, he 'explained' in a very Jack-like manner.

"Ronan." Halia nodded slowly at his statement. Jack paused for a moment and sighed heavily.

"We found something on our planet, someone. She was sick, and the rest of us got the disease. She was able to heal Daniel, Teal'c, and Carter, but she died before she could heal me."

"Go on?" Halia asked tenderly. She knew it must be hard for the Colonel to go through this hellish memory again, but she felt that he needed to understand as much if not even more than she did.

"I was dying, there was no way to save me. So I agreed to let them put a Tok'ra in me."

"Kanan." Jack shot a look sideways at Halia. She had the same dead, hollow look on her face now that Jack got every time he was forced to talk about what had happened to him and she continued his story.

"My master's first prime captured you, but Canaan fled. He left you alone to die. I was there when they brought you back in the sarcophagus. And I was there when Baal killed you again and again…" she continued, her eyes filling with tears. "Tell me, was your suffering in vain?" Jack knew now why the young woman had wanted to talk about his experience with Baal.

He remembered what it was like sitting at the bottom of his cell and hear the jaffa come down the corridor to take him to Baal. This girl, who was barely old enough to be considered an adult, just wanted to know that her own suffering was for a good cause. Jack reached out and hugged Halia close to him as she cried. To him, it was just another example of how important the Shak'tar could be as allies, they knew what it was to be human.

"Listen. I wasn't alone when Baal was torturing me; I had an old friend with me. And you know what he told me?" Halia shook her head deep within the folds of his jacket. "He said, 'I know it doesn't seem like it right now, because you've been through something no one should have to go through, but you're gonna be alright. You're gonna be alright." As he said this, Jack looked over at Daniel. It had been he, in ascended form, that had come to Jack's aide in Baal's fortress.

_I couldn't have gotten through it without you. _But Jack would have face his fears sooner than he thought. The shield opened and the jaffa stepped through one by one. And after they had tossed Ronan on the ground, they took Jack by the arms and led him from the room.

Chapter 12 – The Second Coming

"Ungh!" Jack grunted as he hit the grate. He looked around the room and had a brief moment of Déjà vu. The room was nearly identical to the one in Baal's secret fortress.

"Colonel O'Neill," Baal walked in, his head held high and grand. "We meet again…"

…To Be Continued…

(See The Shak'tar: Part II in my stories list)


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